Dennis-Yarmouht looking to jump-start offense

Thursday

Apr 25, 2013 at 12:01 AMApr 25, 2013 at 3:04 AM

Joe Tyo’s return after missing three games due to an injury has gotten the Dennis-Yarmouth lacrosse team going in the right direction.

Tyo scored four goals and an assist to lead the Dolphins to a 13-6 win over Falmouth Academy last week to improve the Dolphins’ record to 2-3. After going 9-8 and qualifying for the tournament two years ago, D-Y won only four games last year.

George Kostinas

Joe Tyo’s return after missing three games due to an injury has gotten the Dennis-Yarmouth lacrosse team going in the right direction.

Tyo scored four goals and an assist to lead the Dolphins to a 13-6 win over Falmouth Academy last week to improve the Dolphins’ record to 2-3. After going 9-8 and qualifying for the tournament two years ago, D-Y won only four games last year.

Though the Dolphins played well on defense, they had trouble scoring and they appeared to be in the same rut after Falmouth Academy scored first. But then D-Y took a 9-3 lead at the half.

Cort Maes scored three goals and John Gallagher also scored.

“It was a breakout game for those guys,” said D-Y coach Brian Spano. “It has taken a little time to get used to each other the first couple of games.”

D-Y had a good offensive performance in its season’s opener with a 10-4 win over Mashpee. But then, although playing well defensively, the Dolphins’ offense disappeared as they lost to Plymouth North, 6-2.

In high school lacrosse, if you can hold a team to six goals, you more than likely win the game.

“We played really great. We had opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize on them. We had some chances that would have changed the game,” said Spano.

Then in games Spano described as “not pretty,” D-Y lost 10-2 to Nauset and 16-4 to Sandwich.

“I think we played pretty well defensively. Joe Tyo was our leading scorer last year. He missed the first three games this year,” said Spano. “Now with Tyo back, we’re starting to hit our stride and we’ve got to work to keep the momentum going. We’ve got to keep playing good defense, and pick up the scoring a little more.”

With 10 seniors on the roster and 12 returning players, it would appear the Dolphins are a veteran team, but that is deceptive.

“This year’s team is different because we’ve got eight to 12 seniors and one junior. The rest are sophomores and freshmen, so we’ll be relying on our seniors while filling in with sophomores and freshmen. It is a unique composition,” said Spano. And that’s because the sophomores and freshmen are the more skilled players.

“This year’s seniors are the last group that did not play in a youth program,” Spano said.

D-Y’s youth program was started only three years ago, and that experience is critical in a game like lacrosse.

“You can’t just pick up a lacrosse stick as a freshman and expect to compete with established programs,” Spano said. “We’re not the most polished team, but we stay in games and grind other teams down. Our athletes are as good as theirs; we can run with them, but you’ve got to be able to pass and catch.”

But the hardworking seniors are the core of this team.

“I’ve coached these guys for four years, and they’ve come a long way,” Spano said. “It’s a tight group. It makes it easier when you have a group of guys who can lead each other.”

In addition to Tyo, Maes and Gallagher, the other seniors are defensemen Tim Foley, Liam Burke, goalie Mikey Marks, who played midfield last year and is doing a solid job in the net (he had 12 saves against Falmouth Academy), midfielders Ian Carpenter, Nick Pedini and attack middies Casey Saunders and Dakota Dickerson.

The lone junior on the team is defenseman, Morgan Rosetta.

But the program’s success will ultimately fall on the underclassmen and Spano said he has some real good ones, led by sophomore Tyler Gleason, who played almost every game last year at the long stick middie position.

“He’s a groundball machine,” said Spano.

Freshman attacker Ian Crosby is the team’s best stick handler, and another freshman Andrew Jamiel is getting a lot of playing time at midfielder.

Sophomores Tom Slovak, an attacker middie, and Dan Robles, a midfielder have both stepped up and played well so far this year.

“They’re a bunch of young guys with good stick skills and they’ve played a number of years in our youth program and in other towns. They are the future of the program,” said Spano.